Introduction
Health care provision is one of the priorities of the US government. To meet this there is a need to establish a budgeting process that is efficient in providing the needed resources and at the appropriate time. According to Sullivan and Sheffrin a budget is basically “a plan for saving and spending” (2003, p. 502). The public health budget affects your life and your health since it determines the much money that is put in preventive medicine, lowering of environmental hazards among others. The public health budget process is an important tool for governments in mobilizing resources that are needed for health, in the implementation of health-based policies and in the provision of quality health services that is equitable and efficient. This essay explains why the budget process is complex and time-consuming, giving qualities of a good leader and finally touching on the financial management for US health care organizations.
Reasons why the budget process is complex and time-consuming
The budget process involves a lot of players from different sectors of the health care industry. On the spending side, the budget goes through the Appropriation Committees for their approval (Novick, Morrow & Mays, 2008, p.26). Proposals are drafted which are then scrutinized by the budget committees ensuring they have met various needs of the country. After passing through all these processes it goes for voting for its approval or rejection. Politics play a big role in determining what goes into the budget. The policies set out by the present-day government determine what the budget contains. For example, the Obama administration is formulating policies for health insurance policies making health care equitable and accessible to all. When one opposing party fails to agree to the contents there is a lot of time wastage trying to build consensus so that the budget can pass.
Skills of a public health organization leader
A good leader should be a person of integrity. He/she is honest and has nothing to hide in all his work. This brings a culture of trust in an organization and teamwork is cultivated. Dedication to public health work is a virtue that each leader should have (Hakala, 2008, para. 2-5). This enhances completion of public health duties thus a nation free from diseases. A good leader should have an open mind and be able to listen to views from all people including his juniors (American Public Health Association, 2007, p. 5). Finally, a leader should be motivational and work towards boosting the morale of the employees.
Transforming limitations into opportunities
As a leader you should be able to face any kind of challenge during the implementation of your duties. According to Halpern & Lubar (2003, p.32), every challenge should be considered as a good chance to learn and attain skills that may be lacking. In public health, limits of knowledge should be transformed into research undertakings in order to fill the knowledge gaps. When finances become the problem, this chance should be taken to mobilize funds from all sectors providing health and major health undertakings would result. By so doing the public health sector will be efficient and much competent.
Relationship between risk and returns/interest rates
It is a common principle that the higher the risk the bigger the profits (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p.15). It follows then that the public health projects that seem to have higher risks contain many benefits to the people. Much of the research work has been carried out on the development of the AIDS vaccine which poses a lot of risks to both the participants and the researchers. However, great rewards will be reaped once the vaccine dream turns into a reality. This is quite a fair situation since great efforts that are worth the rewards are undertaken to control these risks.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the public health sector needs to have an efficient budget. This will outline all expenditures that are intended. This ensures that all matters of public health importance are taken care of this there is disease reduction and a healthy nation results. As good leaders we should be able to turn the limitations we face in our duties into opportunities either to learn new skills or to advance existing ones. Finally, it is important to note that the higher the risks we come across the higher the benefits we will get. However, great care should be observed to minimize these risks.
Reference List
American Public Health Association. (2007).The American Journal of Public Health: The journal of the American Public health Association. Issue 8. The Association.
Hakala, David (2008). The Top 10 Leadership Qualities. HR World. Web.
Halpern, B., & Lubar, K. (2003). Leadership Presence: Dramatic Techniques to Reach Out, Motivate and Inspire. New York: Penguin Books Limited.
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2007). Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.
Novick, L., Morrow, C., & Mays, G. (2008). Public Health Administration: Principles For Population-based Management. Sudbury, MA: Ones and Bartlett Publishers.
Sullivan, A., & Sheffrin, S. (2003). Economics: Principles in action. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.